Neil Druckmann, the director behind the critically acclaimed The Last of Us, recently shed more light on Naughty Dog's highly anticipated new project, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. In a revealing interview with Alex Garland, the acclaimed writer of the zombie film 28 Days Later, Druckmann discussed the intricate development journey of this upcoming game, which has been in the works for four years.
Reflecting on the mixed reception of The Last of Us 2, Druckmann humorously noted the team's intention to pivot with Intergalactic. "We made a game, The Last of Us 2, we made certain creative decisions that got us a lot of hate. A lot of people love it, but a lot of people hate that game," he said. Garland's response, "Who gives a shit?" encapsulated the sentiment, to which Druckmann agreed, adding, "But the joke is like, you know what, let's do something that people won't care as much about — let's make a game about faith and religion."
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Screenshots
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Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet introduces players to an alternate historical setting, featuring a "pretty prominent religion" that has undergone significant transformations over time. The game stars Jordan A. Mun as Tati Gabrielle, who plays a bounty hunter tasked with navigating the mysteries of a long-isolated planet. Druckmann teased the plot, saying, "This whole religion takes place on this one planet, and then at one point, all communication stops... And you're playing a bounty hunter that's chasing her bounty, and she crash lands on this planet."
Druckmann emphasized the unique gameplay experience, highlighting the player's solitude and the challenge of uncovering the planet's history. "So many of the previous games we've done, there's always, like, an ally with you," he noted. "I really want you to be lost in a place that you're really confused about what happened here, who are the people here, what was their history. And in order to get off this planet — again, no one has been heard from this planet for 600 years or so — if you ever have hoped to have a chance to get off, you have to figure out what happened here."
AnswerSee ResultsLast week, the showrunners of The Last of Us Season 2, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin, confirmed the return of "spores" in the upcoming season, which were notably absent in Season 1. Speaking at SXSW 2025, Druckmann teased an escalation in the narrative, saying, "Season 1, we had this new thing that wasn’t in the game of these tendrils that spread, and that was one form... And then one shot you see in this trailer, there are things in the air."
Additionally, actress Kaitlyn Dever, who will portray Abby in The Last of Us Season 2, shared her challenges with the online reactions to her character. "It's hard not to look at what people are saying online," Dever admitted, reflecting the pressure of stepping into such a pivotal role.
